It's interesting to think that people argue that because data on the Internet competes with multiple existing industries (TV, Phone, Commerce, Mail, etc) that it shouldn't be considered a common carrier. I think the opposite is true. Because so many other industries are built on top of it, it should be a common carrier; in the same way that ferries, rail, roads, and phones were common carriers. Think about it; commerce, mail, and TV (VHS/DVD delivery) all utilized those older industries...﻿

so... yesterday, all day long, I saw a blue and black dress... then, this morning, when I woke up, I looked at feedly and saw a picture of a yellow and white dress, rubbed my eyes, and it turned blue and black again... weirdest thing ever.﻿

Not since Monica Lewinsky was a White House intern has one blue dress been the source of so much consternation. (And yes, it’s blue.) The fact that a single image could polarize the entire Internet into two aggressive camps is, let’s face it, just another Thursday. But for the past half-day, people across social media…

This is an excellent story that helps to explain why Internet service in the US started going down the tube after 2002: (while the rest of the world saw incredible and vast improvements.) The short answer, DSL was reclassified from a Title 2 communication service to a Title 1 information service; as opposed to Cable modem being reclassified from Title 1 to Title 2.

Now for the long story...

This meant that DSL providers (the Baby Bells) no longer had to lease access to their infrastructure (copper lines and phone poles), and as a result they didn't have to compete. In fact, this lead to a series of legislative actions that have made it nearly impossible for new companies to compete with the existing major players; such as the minimum infrastructure investments and bans on municipal networks that have prevented nearly 30% of Americans from getting access to broadband Internet. The result was the big companies we see today (Verizon, Century Link, SBC, and BellSouth) are almost the only options for DSL service. Time Warner and Comcast never had to compete, because Cable Modem was always Title 1; however, under Title 2, cable modem providers will have to compete with other companies that can use the same cable already running into your home/apartment for TV service; most importantly, a startup can simply build a relay station that provides Cable Modem on Comcast's infrastructure in a region where Comcast doesn't feel it is profitable enough to build a relay station: (this is done by leasing the unused spectrum on the Cable line).

If you have read Tim Wu's The Master Switch, you will recognize a lot of patterns here that point back to the 1920's & 30's, and eventually lead to the creation of Title 2 in the 1934... but I guess American's are really good at forgetting about history... if you care about getting involved in the Net Neutrality debate, it is a must read book. It will provide some insight into how the debate behind net neutrality is nearly 100 years in the making. A constant tug of war over controlling the flow of information; some theoretical concepts even go back to realizations during the dark ages and enlightenment periods.

I always love these types of videos about the technology of the future... Corning's world of glass series seems better though... but Microsoft did a good job with this one... then I remember, we were supposed to all have jetpacks and flying cars by now...I guess this stuff isn't that far fetched. We just won't be there until we have Terabit to the home networks...﻿

I particularly like this little bit:"we'd do well to remember that at the end of the day, the law doesn't defend us; we defend the law. And when it becomes contrary to our morals, we have both the right and the responsibility to rebalance it toward just ends." Edward Snowden﻿

To be honest, Title 2 could solve all of these issues... including the problem of only having one cable modem provider for 95% of cable modem users...

It would also assist in making FCCs nation wide VOIP service a reality, which could be good. Also, it's true, Comcast was asked to comply with all of these requests ten years ago, but the state of California can't make them do it... but this agreement...﻿

Hello! I am a Software Test Engineer with a specialty in Networking technologies. I primarily use both Windows and Linux machines for work and personal use. You can also find me on a variaty of social networks such Blogger, Orkut, Myspace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

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When I'm not on the computer I play bass guitar, love to hike, and sometimes I ride my bike. When I have longer breaks from work I like traveling to new places and improving my skills as a professional tourist! Feel free to contact me for more information at:

Although the cupcake are a little expensive, you can tell they are made from quality ingredients, so I am not upset about the price. I love the coffee, smoothies, and Italian sodas here, and the family that runs the shop its delightful. They always have water for my dog, and there are plenty of seats with tables out front with shade from a tree and umbrellas. They also have air conditioning, which helps a lot on those hot days.

I've been going to Jet City for years for the atmosphere and people that I find there. It's a unique experience where you can sit down with your coffee and enjoy a good conversation, sit and read a book, surf the web using the free WiFi, or just sit and admire all the antiques.